Parade to mark Lebanon's independence

Lebanon on Tuesday celebrated the 62 independence anniversary from France amid tension as a result of the confrontation that took place on Monday on the Shabaa farms front between the Israeli forces and the Hizbullah party.

A military parade was held for the Lebanese army in the center of Beirut attended by President Emil Lahoud and the speaker of the parliament, both of them are Damascus supporters, in addition to Fouad al-Sinioura and several Lebanese ministers and parliamentarians.

On Monday, the Lebanese President Emil Lahoud gave an address to the Lebanese on this occasion in which he defended the weapons of the Hizbullah in the face of those calling for demanding dismantling it.

He said that "the series of crimes which took place in Lebanon, escorted with the foreign intervention and the attempts to dismantle the resistance weapons, are not isolated from each other," noting that there is "a conspiracy" against his country.

Lahoud stressed the need of solving internal differences by means of dialogue so as to prevent foreign interventions. He stressed the importance of having remarkable relations with Syria.